North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts January 2009 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.48

North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts January 2009 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.48

SAN JOSE, Calif. – February 19, 2009 – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $285.6 million in orders in January 2009 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.48 according to the January 2009 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.48 means that $48 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in January 2009 was $285.6 million. The bookings figure is about 51 percent less than the final December 2008 level of $579.1 million, and about 75 percent less than the $1.14 billion in orders posted in January 2008.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in January 2009 was $592.2 million. The billings figure is about 12 percent less than the final December 2008 level of $672.4 million, and about 54 percent less than the January 2008 billings level of $1.28 billion.

“Sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment continue to decline, exacerbated by the diminished demand for consumer electronics, and the global economic turmoil.” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “As a result, bookings are at the lowest levels since 1991.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Billings

(Three-month avg.)

Bookings

(Three-month avg.)

Book-to-Bill

August 2008

1,064.5

866.8

0.81

September 2008

927.3

649.9

0.70

October 2008

871.4

839.7

0.96

November 2008

806.8

783.8

0.97

December 2008 (final)

672.4

579.1

0.86

January 2009 (prelim.)

592.2

285.6

0.48

Source: SEMI February 2009

The data contained in this release were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

The data are contained in a monthly Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. The report tracks billings and bookings worldwide of North American-headquartered manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not billings and bookings of the chips themselves.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. SEMI member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Bangalore, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.

Beginning in March 2009, the SEMI Book-to-Bill press release will no longer be distributed via newswire. To ensure that you continue to receive the release, please email ssmith@semi.org to make sure you are on the distribution list.